Celebrating Veteran's Day with Montessori Activities

In many parts of the world, military veterans are honored on November eleventh. This day, known in the United States as Veteran’s day and as Armistice or Remembrance Day in other areas, is the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I in 1918.

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first day commemorating the Armistice. The original idea was for a day marked with parades and public meetings, with a brief suspension of business beginning at 11 am. Unlike Memorial Day, Veterans Day is largely meant to celebrate and thank living veterans for their service, sacrifice, and dedication.

Although most federal holidays are celebrated on Mondays so as to gain a 3-day weekend, Veterans Day is always celebrated on November 11 to preserve the historical significance and importance of the date.
There are several activities that you can do in your Montessori classroom to help children recognize and learn about Veterans Day.

Celebrating Veteran's Day in the Montessori Classroom with Montessori Activities

3-Dimensional Star Table Decorations

What You Need:

• Star Template
• Stiff paper (card stock, oak tag, Styrofoam meat trays)
• Scissors
• Crayons, markers

What You Do:

• Trace stars onto stiff paper. (Two star shapes are needed to make one star).
• Decorate both stars on both sides.
• Cut out both stars.
• With scissors, make a slit from an inner corner to the center point of one star.
• On the other star, make a slit from an outer corner to the center point.
• Slip the two stars together through the slits.
• The star should be stable enough to stand alone as a table decoration.

A nice way to practice Grace and Courtesy is to write thank you letters to veterans.

What You Need:

• Plain printer paper
• Crayons/markers

What You Do:

Design a patriotic letterhead with American symbols: flags, stars, eagles. Students can then write a personal thank you letter to a veteran, either those who have served in prior wars or conflicts or those who are currently serving. Students can also do research on the history of the American Flag, American Military Flags, or American Symbols. A short written report accompanied by hand-drawn illustrations would help illuminate an oral presentation to the class. Students could also make 3-part matching cards to accompany their research.

As much as possible, NAMC’s web blog reflects the Montessori curriculum as provided in its teacher training programs. We realize and respect that Montessori schools are unique and may vary their schedules and offerings in accordance with the needs of their individual communities. We hope that our readers will find our articles useful and inspiring as a contribution to the global Montessori community.
© North American Montessori Center - originally posted in its entirety at Montessori Teacher Training on Friday, November 2, 2007.